Veneficus Verum: Chamber of Secrets
by Dreamer's Dark Requiem
Summary: The Truth is still hidden, but some has been uncovered. Can the seven find the entire truth?
1. A Thousand and One Nights

Veneficus Verum; Chamber of Secrets

Rated; T for violence, blood, and swearing.

HP pairings canon+Luna/OC and TotA pairings are Luke/Tear, Guy/Natalia, Ion/Anise, past!Asch/Natalia

Disclaimer: Not mine…I've said this, like, a million times.

Warning; um, nothing.

AN: So! The sequel…I hope you all like it~

Chapter 1

A Thousand and One nights

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><p>Harry yawned. He had been trying to not yawn, and so hoped that his aunt would not notice it. The 12 year old rubbed away the dirt on his face. Earlier that day, he had freaked Dudley out by saying he was trying to figure which spell to use to set the hedge on fire.<p>

He had paid dearly for it, but it was still funny whenever he thought of it. Harry glanced back at the hedge in question before shaking his head: He had to tell Aunt Petunia that he was done.

When he entered the house, a plate with a cracker and a slice of cheese on it was shoved into his hands and he was pushed off to his room, "Go, boy, now!" Harry huffed quietly, but moved on regardless. Dudley squawked as he passed him, which made the dark red-head smile faintly.

Quickly, the young boy hurried up the stairs, biting his lip as he did so. He barely made it to his room when he heard a few hard knocks on the door of the house. Harry sat on his bed with a sigh, not noticing the being next to him until after he had finished off his cracker and cheese.

"Er, Harry Potter, Sir?" Harry blinked and looked at the creature sitting next to him, "Oh, Hullo. I didn't see you…" "Don't worry, Harry Potter, Sir, people don't usually notice house elves anyway…"

Harry frowned lightly, "House Elf?"

The 'elf's eyes went wide, "How can the great Harry Potter not know of us…? But, then, not many half-bloods or muggle-borns know of us…" He bowed, "My name is Dobby, sir." Harry nodded slowly, utterly confused.

He tipped his head at the elf, "Why are you here, Dobby? If you don't mind me asking." Dobby seemed surprised by the last comment but said, "Dobby is…not wanting to sound rude, Harry Potter, sir…"

Harry raised an eyebrow: What was Dobby talking about? _You're really an alien from another planet and only house elves can tell, _joked The Voice in the back of his head. He had to resist his sudden urge to laugh.

"Go ahead Dobby."

"Well, Sir, Dobby is hoping…Wanting that Mr. Harry Potter sir would not return to Hogwarts?" The last part was muttered meekly. Harry stared at him for a long time before turning away and saying, "So. Earlier you were surprised that I asked if you didn't mind me asking you something."

Dobby seemed somewhat upset about by his sudden change of topic and answered accordingly, "Well, Dobby is not being asked much if he minds it if someone asks him a question. Dobby's masters cares even less, Sir."

Harry frowned, "Your masters?" Dobby cringed faintly, "It is not mattering, Harry Potter, sir." He narrowed his eyes with a frown; Time to take a leaf out of Neville's book. "How about this Dobby." The elf looked up, "I will only hear you out about Hogwarts if you tell me who your masters are, okay?"

The tiny elf seemed somewhat fearful of this 'deal' before finally nodding, "Okay, Harry Potter, sir.

"Well, sir, My family…is a pureblood family. The Malfoys, Harry Potter, sir." "The Malfoys? Like, Draco _Malfoy _Malfoy?" Dobby seemed surprised by Harry's knowledge and then realized that he had gone to Hogwarts and most likely ran into his young master.

He sighed, "I'm pretty sure that Malfoy probably doesn't having anything to do with what you want to tell me. Am I right?" Dobby nodded. "Okay…Well, Dobby, why don't you tell me why you don't want me to do back to Hogwarts."

Dobby began to wring his hands on his…tea towel?, "Well, sir, Dobby is wanting Harry Potter Sir to stay here and not goes to Hogwarts this year, sir." Harry frowned, "But why? I mean, here can't be anything worse then last year there…" Laughter carried up from the rooms downstairs, some which sounded forced.

The elf bowed his head, "Dobby is hearing about your last encounter with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," He looked back up at him, "But, Harry Potter, sir, this is...There is a greater danger! Someone...Someone will _try_, sir!" "Try what, Dobby?"

"...They will...The Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby shook his head fiercely, obviously unable to continue. Harry stared. He already could tell he couldn't ask any more of the house elf and sighed, "I can't stay here, Dobby. The Dursleys...They hate me, and I'm not overly fond of them either."

Dobby gave him a horrified look, "Your life is in danger. You cannot return, Harry Potter sir!" The dark red-head's eyes flashed, "I'm going back Dobby, even if there is danger. Besides, there is no way I'm letting my friends face something like that alone."

The elf gave a moan, "Harry Potter is noble, sir! But, Dobby cannot allow someone as noble and great as you, Harry Potter sir, to be killed. Dobby will do what he must." Harry narrowed his eyes. Before he could do a thing, the elf had leapt up, and, to Harry's horror, the elf flung himself out into the hall.

The 12 year old hurried after, catching Dobby with the pudding Aunt Petunia had taken so long to make hovering just below the ceiling. "No...Dobby...," Harry pleaded. Dobby shook his head, "Only if Harry Potter says he won't return to Hogwarts." "I can't...!"

"Then," The elf gave him a sad look, "I have no choice Harry Potter."

Harry watched as the pudding fell to the ground with a loud SMACKTHUD. He stared quietly at the new mess in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the Dursleys and their guests heard the noise. His new fate was to be locked up in his room ...

And this wasn't just any locked room, not anymore. Bars on the window, the door locked all day...His Aunt and Uncle know he can't do magic during the holidays...

He curled up into a ball on his bed. This _sucked. _Why, it was just like before...What his thoughts meant by 'Before', Harry didn't know, but at the moment he could only hope for his friends to help him...Even if they weren't sending him any letters.

"Dobby might've known," Harry muttered to himself. Hedwig gave a light hoot of agreement to him. He sent his owl a faint grin, wishing Mieu was here. Mieu had, sadly, been forced to stay at Hogwarts. Had he not been, Harry might've been able to send a message to one of his friends with his help.

Mieu would have been nice for conversation too.

Harry sat there on the bed until night, not getting up for any of the meals that were pushed through the new cat flap. Even the distant noises of a car didn't make him move. He sat there, not falling asleep, not feeling tired at all. There was a light knocking noise.

He ignored it.

The knocking noise grew a little louder.

He groaned and got up.

And then he froze, "_Ron_?" The other red-head grinned widely at him. "What're you doing here?" he mumbled through the glass. "Here to get you-But nevermind that, why did you use magic?" Harry gave an exasperated sigh, "I didn't." Ron rolled his eyes, "You sure? You didn't do any magic, even on accident?"

"...I didn't, Ron."

He 'Hmmm'ed his agreement and and began to undo the latch for the window, "Fred, George, and me'll get the bars off the window, so get Hedwig up near the window. I'll get her into the car while Fred and George get your trunk..."

"How did you-"

"I know you, buddy, and I know you'd never let your trunk out of your room willingly. Move back, okay?" Ron tied a thick cord of rope around the bars and moved back into the blue-green car. Harry also moved away, grabbing Hedwig's cage as he did so.

The bars soon collapsed against the pressure of the rope and car, and Harry quickly passed Hedwig to Ron while the twins slipped passed him. "Your trunk-" "-is where-" "-Mate?" The dark red-head resisted his urge to laugh once more and said, "It's in the cupboard beneath the stairs. Be careful," He added, "The bottom stair creaks."

They also 'hmmm'ed and then set to work on the door's lock. Harry was somewhat surprised when it opened. Fred waved a bobby pin at him, "Muggle tricks are-" -Very useful!" And the two left the room, sneaking across and down the stairs as quietly as possible. Harry wished they were just a little bit more quiet.

By the time the twins returned, Harry had positioned himself in a place right next to the window. They would be able to get the trunk into the back of the car, then get in and go. Hopefully, Uncle Vernon wouldn't wake up. Speaking of him...

Harry listened intently at Fred and George shoved the trunk into the back and then get into the car as Ron moved it back into position. Unfortunately, they were a bit too loud about it, because he heard a loud, 'I'm-waking-up' snort from Uncle Vernon. "Get in," The 12 year old hissed as George grappled with Fred to get into one of the back seats.

The 14 year olds were somewhat surprised by his fierceness, but they too heard his uncle beginning to wake up. They stopped messing around and George hurried into his seat. Ron pulled the car back, swung it around and then parked it again(in _midair_!) so that Harry could get into the passenger's seat.

He quickly did so, just as he heard his uncle open the door of his own bedroom. The seatbelt was strapped and Harry gestured for Ron to _go. _And he did, moments before Uncle Vernon opened Harry's bedroom door. The blue-green car had already taken off and was half-hidden by the clouds by the time the over-weight man had a chance to get to the window.

The red-head couldn't help his grin and soft laugh. The other three red-heads, all of their hair much lighter then his own, snorted at his obvious amusement. "So, Harry," Ron commented lightly, "Wanna tell us _why _someone did magic and _who _did the magic?"

"The one who did the magic was trying to get me to stay at the Dursleys, and not get to Hogwarts. And, the one who did magic...," Harry sighed, "A house elf, named Dobby." The twins blinked, "A house elf? They're only found in big Pureblood mansions, usually."

Harry frowned, "I know. I got the name of the family..." Let me guess," Ron said drily, "Malfoys?" The dark red-head gave a soft, bitter laugh, "Yeah. But, I doubt Dobby's family knew about him being there."

Fred frowned, "Why do you say that?"

"Because, all he could tell me was that there was a danger at Hogwarts and that it had something to do with the Chamber of Secrets."

"Never heard of it..."

"Hermione or Neville might know," Harry mused. Ron nodded: Their two other friends were both very knowledgeable. The twins shrugged at each other not really caring too much about it. "You know," Ron murmured, looking across the horizon, "It's almost morning."

The twins cringed, "Mum is going to kill all of us."

Ron snorted and sent Harry a grin.

"More like just us three."

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><p><strong>Hehehehehe, do you like this chapter? And, uh, I dunno if I like the way I end the chapter this way. Ah, well. Anyway, I'm starting up on Circumstance...And I'm tempted to do a WBWL HP crossover fic as well as a Jak&amp;Daxter fic. I dunno, though, cause it might be too much for me lol what do you guys think?<strong>


	2. Be Somewhere

Veneficus Verum; Chamber of Secrets

Rated; T for violence, blood, and swearing.

Disclaimer: Not mine…I've said this, like, a million times.

Warning; um, nothing.

AN: Second chapter...And I know you people are there! -shakes fist- Please, Review, everyone!

Chapter 2

Be Somewhere

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><p>As Ron had predicted, Mrs. Weasley had chewed out him and the twins while Harry started being mothered(<em>Like Mother, except not sickly<em>) by her. The other three were punished with _no _sleep nor were they allowed to just sit and rest for the next few hours. Instead, they were tasked with 'De-gnoming' the garden. Due to Harry's want to be actually moving around, he insisted on helping.

Mrs. Weasley was bit put out, but please by his sense of duty.

Harry, on the other hand, just thought he was being a bit selfish.

Whatever the case was, the other three were happy to have more hands on deck, even if they were inexperienced with...whatever they were doing. He still didn't understand what 'De-gnoming' meant. Whatever it was, he mused, it didn't matter. Mostly because he was paying more attention to patch of flowers then Fred's explanation.

"So-Harry, are you listening?"

He jumped.

Ron moved to stand next to him, "Oh, those are Ginny's flowers. She calls them Selenias...And, according to her, only grow in the shade," He gestured to the large tree the flowers surrounded, "See?" Harry looked at his friend, curious about 'Ginny,' "Who's...?" "Oh! Ginny is my little sister. Didn't I tell you about her?"

The dark red-head frowned in thought before remembering that his friend had mentioned his younger sister several times the previous year. "Sorry-I'm being forgetful today."

The twins shrugged at the same time but Ron frowned. Harry knew that, well, his red-head friend knew that he was lying. He knew that Harry was tired, very tired, and probably hadn't slept for a day, at least. The dark red-head also knew the other, lighter, red-head was going to be a mother hen until he finally went and slept.

As such, he had already approached to do said mother hen-ing. Harry gave a faint grin and shook his head, mouthing 'Later' at him. Ron shot him a somewhat angry look and then turned to vent his frustrations of the garden gnomes...Or, really, just gnomes.

Harry smiled somewhat at him before moving over to help however he could.

During this time two girls appeared by the large tree, unnoticed by the four boys. "Okay, Ginny," The blond smiled both cheerfully and dreamily, "I water like...this?" "Yes, that's really good Luna!" The red-head named Ginny smiled softly at 'Luna.'

The blond gave a soft giggle before picking one of the flowers that Ginny gestured to, "It's okay if I take one, right?" "Of course! I know how much your mother loved them...That's where you're taking it, right?" Luna gave a sad smile to her red-head friend: Her mother had died the year before Ginny's youngest(but older) brother went to Hogwarts.

"Hmmmm, thank you, Ginny."

Luna tucked the white selenia behind her ear before grabbing another two. "Huh?" Luna leaned over and put one of the two behind Ginny's ear. "Luna!" She gasped softly. The blond smiled kindly and hugged her tightly, "Don't change."

The other girl blinked in confusion at her friend's request(more like a demand, really) and murmured into the blond's hair, "Of course not. Promise I won't." There was a quiet 'Good' from the 11 year old before she released her.

Around this time, Ron had seen his sister and her friend and was all but dragging Harry over to them, "Ginny! Luna!"

They looked over. And blinked.

"Eh, Ron? What do you want now?" Ginny mused dryly, giving her brother The Look. He gave a fake, startled gasp, "Not The Look! Anything but that my dear little sister!" "I'm going to punch you." she muttered, glaring at him. Luna pulled on her sleeve while saying, "Hello. Who are you?"

Harry jumped a little at being addressed, "Oh! I'm...Harry." He was suddenly grateful that his hair was swept over his scar: It meant that they didn't recognize him at once.

Well, that and from what Neville had told him, most people thought he had black hair, not a dark red. After all, his hair had lightened a lot since first year, where his hair was near black: Now, it was a deep, dark crimson red.

_Asch,_ The Voice muttered. Harry resisted his urged to scoff and focused on the two in front of him: One had blond hair, just on the edge of being classified as a Light Brunette(_Anise!_) while the other had auburn hair, with hints of tan streaks(_...!_). It made him stare at her the most, and she shifted a little under his gaze.

He cracked a faint grin at the two, and they relaxed. "I'm Ginny!" The red-head girl finally said, giving a small smile to him while the blond tipped her head to the side, "I am Luna."

There was an awkward wilence among the four.

Then...

"Oi! Mum wants us in the house you three! So-"

"-Stop mooning over each other-"

"-And get in!"

The older two of the four turned glares on the twins who gave them impish grins. Ginny and Luna glanced at each other and shrugged, "Well, see you tomorrow, Ginny." Luna murmured softly, giving a light nod to the other two.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow..." The girl frowned as the blond hurried away, her extra selenia clasped in her hands. Ginny got up then, turning to her brother, "Oi, Ron. You said that your friend would probably be coming over on Friday. It's Wednesday!"

Ron gave her an evil grin, "Well, Me and the twins went out and picked him," The light red-head gave his friend a thump on the back, "Up from his evil relatives." He gave her a serious look, "They're horrible. I'm _not _joking." He adde,d frowning as she rolled her eyes.

Ginny snorted, "Fred was 'evil' when he turned your teddy bear into a giant spider." Ron shuddered, "It was horrible! Evil! What seven year old turns his younger brother's stuffed toys into giant spiders, anyway?" The look on his face plainly said: Not funny.

Harry, on the other hand, found it funny. He showed this by his barely contained snigger, which his friend scowled at. "It wasn't funny!"

"Well, now I know why you had a fit after Mieu mentioned giant spider monsters."

Ginny looked curious at the mention of 'Mieu' but Ron interrupted anything she might have said with a pout, "Jerk."

The three joined the twins at the entrance to the Burrow and went in, "Alright you five, lunch time!" Ron muttered 'already?' while Ginny shook her head: Her brother never did pay attention to the time. Harry just gave a little shrug and sat down at the table between the two.

Less then a hour later, Ron had dragged his friend and sister back outside, demanding for the two to 'get to know each other.' Harry just stared at his friend as they plopped down next tot he patch of selenias. "Okay!" He announced, "You two are going to play twenty question with each other!"

"What?"

"You heard me!"

The two exchanged looks. "Uh, And how are we playing this?" "Like, just do what we did when we interrogated Neville!" Ron grinned at them widely. Harry sighed, "Did you have to use the term 'interrogate'?"

The youngest of the group rolled her eyes at her older brother and turned to Harry, "I'm Ginny, I'm 11, I'm going to Hogwarts this year. I like growing my Selenias and that idiot over there is my youngest, but older, brother. But you knew that all ready, right?"

Ron stuck his tongue out at her and she just gave him a small, smug smirk. Harry grinned, "I'm Harry, I'm 12, and I'm going to second year at Hogwarts. I do like your selenias, and I do know that idiot over there."

The two shared a laugh at Ron's dismayed look. "Cruel! Why did you have to be so mean to me?" "We're not being mean, we're just teasing," Ginny gave him a small grin, "Besides, you can sometimes be an idiot. An honorable idiot, but still an idiot."

Ginny suddenly got up, "I need to go now, so..." She waved at them both, "See you." Harry smiled after and Ron gave the boy next him a light punch in the arm, "No flirting with my sister!"

"What!" Harry spluttered, "She's eleven! I'm twelve!" Ron scoffed with a small grin. Then, his face morphed into a serious look, "Hey. About earlier?" Harry shook his head, "I'm fine, really, Ron." The light red-head frowned. "Harry. You really didn't look at all that good earlier, nor now either? Seriously, you look really sick."

Harry breathed in, "I...I'm fine, Ron." The red-head opened his mouth again-"No! I'm _fine_, Ron. I just need some sleep and I'll be fine."

He wore an angry look on his face and then shook his head, "Just...Be careful, okay?" The dark red-head sighed and then nodded, "Promise I will, Ron."

The 12 year old rose from his spot and the other rose to follow him, checking his watch, "Hey, wait. There's no way it could have actually taken two hours for all of this." Harry snorted quietly, giving his friend a little grin, "Maybe we spent too long just sitting there. We are kind of lazy, aren't we?"

"Are not!"

They shared a laugh before moving back to the house, for a quick nap("Or else!") and then dinner, before they went back to sleep. When they got inside, Ron lead Harry to his room, where Harry gapped.

"This room..."

It was nothing like the room he had with the Dursleys, that looked like someone was staying there, like a guest. This room, though, looked like it was lived in. It was...

It was nice.

Harry turned and grinned and Ron, who looked just a little sheepish, "I _love _it. Like I love the rest of this house!" The light red-head was pleased, both by the praise for his home and that his friend seemed so happy...

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><p><strong>Chapter 2! Yay :D I got it finished and updated! So, I was half-way done, like a week ago, but I've been so busy with school...Wait.<strong>

**Ginny: Yeah? What is it?**

**...Harry said that you guys can't show up till the end of stories. I'm not done with this story yet!**

**Ginny: That only counts for the first story you finish! After that, we can come bother you whenever we want.**

**Jerk.**

**Ginny: A-huh. But, shouldn't you be finishing the first chapter for Branches of Memories?**

**Oh! Crap! Uh, bye, see you guys next update! **


	3. Change

Veneficus Verum; Chamber of Secrets

Rated; T for violence, blood, and swearing.

Disclaimer: Not mine…

Warning; Some Gildory Lockheart bashing, but then, aren't most of the stories he in have bashing of some kind? Oh, and Minor Percy Bashing too. Don't worry, he'll get better in later stories, when the war starts.

AN: Reviews...yes..._Scarpaw_ gets a lovely tray of chocolate chip cookies. And I just realized I can't wait to show you the changes I've made to the HP War, during the sixth and seventh books. `Course, the war might start earlier than before, but you'll find out later if that's true.

Chapter 3

Change

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><p>The next morning was an early one, but Harry did get enough sleep. In fact, it was probably more sleep then he had in a long time. Ron looked exhausted, though, as well as Ginny. Both, however, were rather cheerful when they meet him half way up the stairs. "The book lists are here!"<p>

Harry blinked, "Seriously?" Ron put a hand to his chest, "Do you doubt us?" "Maybe," Harry smirked as his friend gave him an angry pout.

Ginny snorted. "You're such a crazy, Ron."

"What, is today pick on Ron day?"

"Maybe. Too bad we don't have a calender, eh, Harry?"

The dark haired boy grinned widely, "I thought everyday was Pick on Ron day, though." The youngest red-head snorted and then lead the way back down to the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was making breakfast. Ron was still pouting at the other two's earlier teasing when the twins preceeded to appear and also began to tease him. Harry and Ginny exchanged looks and smiled as one.

The eldest Weasley boy that still went to Hogwarts came down the stairs last, looking very smug and big-headed. Harry didn't think he'd like him...But he probably wouldn't hate him either. Ginny and Ron didn't seem not to like their elder brother, from the looks on their faces. They both seemed to prefer Fred and George.

Not that Harry could blame them.

Once everyone had eaten, the family, plus Harry, gathered in the main room, the only room in the house with a fireplace. According to the whispered instructions both Ron and Ginny were hissing into his ears, they would be using floo powder to get to Diagon Alley. Once there, they'd buy their things, maybe say hello to a few friends, and then head home.

Home, Harry mused. He liked the sound of that.

The twins went first, Percy following them soon after. Ron went next. Harry, despite his faint want to be last, ended up being next after Ron. Of course, he really should have followed _all _of Ron and Ginny's advice.

Harry rolled his shoulders, hissing as pain jolted through his right one. Yes, he should have listened and been more clear about his destination. Now, he was in a strange, dark and dusty building with no idea where he was. What was more, he was very certain that this building belonged to a very, well, bad wizard.

With a despairing sigh and a desperate wish for a jacket with a hood, Harry moved to the door. But the sight of two dark figures on the other side of the foggy glass made him stop. He sucked in a breath and turned away, hurrying back, to find something to hide behind, in.

He found an old closet in the back of the room, which he slipped into, only barely shutting the doors when the two figures entered the...Store? Above him, he heard hurried footsteps, no doubt belonging to the owner of the store. Harry peeked out between the doors and spotted the two people who had entered.

Draco Malfoy and the man who was most likely his father.

The dark red-head frowned, giving Malfoy a once over. There was something different about the snobby boy. Maybe his hair? It did have a strange tint to it that it didn't have the year before. Whatever the case was, the shopkeeper had appeared and began to chatter away with Malfoy's father.

Malfoy seemed disinterested by the conversation and was sending the whole room a look of disgust. Harry couldn't help but wonder if he knew he was there. If he did, it would explain that look of disgust. He had mused a long time ago as to why the other boy sent him looks like that, but had long since given up trying to make sense of it.

With a jolt, he realized he had not paid any attention to Malfoy's father, who was now gathering a few papers sitting in front of him. With a call and gesture, Malfoy turned away from glaring at the room and followed the elder man. For a few minutes, Harry awaited for the moment the shopkeeper would leave the room...

And he did.

Harry shoved the doors open, leapt out, and raced across the room, shoving the door of the store open as quickly as possible. For a moment, he swore the shopkeeper spotted him. If he did, the shopkeeper didn't follow him. Thankfully.

He rushed down the alley, confused and disoriented. The people here were a bit frightening, and Harry was again thankful that his bangs covered his stupid scar. He paused. And stared.

Not to far ahead was a familiar giant of a man. Rubeus Hagird, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts. Harry let out a gasp of relief and moved toward him, grabbing his left sleeve, "Hagrid!" The large man turned, surprised, "`Arry? What're you doin` here?" "Accident," He gasped, "Floo powder. Said 'Diagon Alley' wrong." Hagrid shook his head in exasperation, "`Onestly, `Arry. Need to be more careful, ye do."

The dark red-head grinned weakly.

With Hagrid's help, Harry managed to get to the Weasleys again without too much problem. Mrs. Weasley fussed over him...As did Ron, which seemed to surprise his older brothers. Ginny was already, apparently, used to this type of behvaior from him. Did Ron subject her to this as well?

He hurried to stand next to her, "Is Ron overprotective with you, as well?" The red-head gave him a small smile, "Yeah. Doesn't know when to quiet...," She sighed, "I do care about, really. I just wished he wouldn't treat me like a child." "Agreed," Harry said with a smile.

It didn't take too long to get all their stuff. Harry felt a bit guilty that his friends' family had so little money. But Ron's fierce look that cleary said 'Don't worry about it' made him sigh. Hermione had shown up during one of these fierce looks, which mad eher raise an eyebrow at them both.

Harry spluttered suddenly, "Hermione!" She laughed at his surprised look, "What, didn't notice me? I wonder if I should feel offended." "Don't worry, `Mione. _I _noticed you," Ron stated cheerfully. Ginny popped in on them at that very moment, "Yeah? Well, you are a loverboy. It's nice to meet you." She directed the last comment to Hermione, who had blushed.

"Oh! Nice to meet you as well."

Ginny shrugged and said, "Mum wants us. Books...and Lockhart." She seemed disgisted by this 'Lockhart', as did Ron. Hermione, however, seemed star-struck. Harry just shook his head. "Look," He began, "Why don't we go see Mrs. Weasley, then?" Ron sighed and Ginny nodded while Hermione just gave a vague gesture, looking star-struck still.

Mrs. Weasley was rather happy with Hermione, who smiled at her cheerfully. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw a curtian of dirty blond hair and a mop of dark, nearly black, green hair. He turned his head fully and caught sight of Ginny's friend, Luna, and a young boy, probably her age, standing near by, chatting. The dark red-head reached over and grabbed Ginny's sleeve and tugged on it a few times as Hermione chatted away with Mrs. Weasley.

The other red-head looked at him in confusion and he simply gestured in the direction of Luna and the boy. Ginny seemed vaguely surprised before: "Luna! Hey, Luna!" The blond looked up at them and gave them a dreamy smile. She said something to the boy and then she was carerfully leading the two of them towards the group.

Luna gave a light bow, "Hello again. Hi, Ginny." The other boy also bowed lightly. Harry glanced at him, "Not to sound rude, but, ah, you are?" "Oh!" He gasped, "I am Wei Ingham. It's very nice to meet you...?" "Harry." The boy smiled kindly at him, "It's nice to meet you, then, Sir Harry!" For a brief moment, he was struck with Deja vu. Then, the title registered, "_Sir_? Don't call me Sir, please. It makes me feel really uncomfortable."

Wei seemed confused by this, but seemed to discard the confusion in favor of a smile. Hermione turned to look at the four, "We need to head to Florish and Blotts, now. C`mon, you guys." Wei, Luna, and Ginny grouped up with himself, Ron, and Hermione. The only one who could be possibly missing was Neville, who, according to Ron, wouldn't be coming until next week and had mentioned that he was a little upset that he would not get to join them.

The group huddled with the other Weasleys in the line for Lockhart, whom, as far as Harry could tell just from the pictures, seemed very arrogant. He was somewhat weak in the knees: What if someone from school recognized him? And then blurted out his name? He'd probably be forced to take a picture with the idiot.

Wonderful.

Unfortunately, just as he had predicted and worried about, Harry had ended up being forced to take a picture with Lockhart. _And _he had been as much of an arrogant idiot as he thought. What made him the most upset was the surprised looks on Ginny, Luna(if only a brief flash), and Wei's faces.

Harry had also gotten a set of books, all of them on the school's book list, which he gave to Ginny. _He _didn't need them and he could buy his own. Besides, she was a friend.

Of course, at least they had seemed somewhat peaceful just sitting together until the head of the Malfoy family appeared, Draco trailing behind him reluctantly. "Lucius," Mr. Weasley said cooly from his spot next his wife. Lucius gave him a grim smile, "Why, Hello, Arthur. My," He eyed Hermione's parents, "What company you keep." A flash of a cringe crossed Draco's face, though Harry mused he was the only one looking for things like that.

He returned his attention to the two men in front of him, only to register that Lucius had just thrown a couple of Ginny's second hand books back into her cauldron, looking worn and rather beaten. _Nice job, Mr. Weasley_ Harry praised. The dark red-head watched the group as Ginny moved back towards him, "So. When...when were you going to tell me your last name?"

The soon-to-be second year cringed, "Sorry, I just didn't want you to be shy or whatever around me." Ginny sighed and turned away, "Fine." She was, obviously, upset. It made Harry cringe. Hermione and her parents bid them goodbye while Luna's father appeared and whisked her and Wei away.

Ginny was angry enough with him to ignore him and thus he was left alone with only Ron, who was confused. "Why are you and her not talking? you guys fighting?" Harry kicked the ground, "Something like that." Ron raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

They left for home, then, Harry wondering what he could do to make up for his mistake with Ginny.

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><p><strong>Well. Here we are. Happy now? Hmph! Be glad I got it finished so quickly. See ya next time!<strong>

**Muse: Toad.**

**Shut up, you. Go back and bother the character muses.**


	4. Don't Be Lazy

Veneficus Verum; Chamber of Secrets

Rated; T for violence, blood, and swearing.

Disclaimer: Not mine…

Warning; I...don't think there is anything. POV change in the chapter, though.

AN: Why hello! Here we are, at chapter 4...I need to work on Sky's heart, Earth's soul again. Eeeek.

Chapter 4

Don't Be Lazy

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><p>Harry James Potter groaned as his best friend, Ronald Weasley, rolled him out of bed. "What bloody time is it?" He slurred sleepily<p>

The other snickered quietly. "Almost Eight. And we need to be at the station by 10, remember? It takes a hour to get there-" Ron was cut off as Harry threw himself out of the bed with a startled cry.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Harry dashed around the room, grabbing whatever he could and throwing it into his trunk. Ron's startled expression changed to that of pure bemusement, even as his mother called for them to hurry up.

Finally, once the dark-haired boy was ready, they hurried down the stairs. When the two entered the kitchen, they were met with a stern stare. Mrs. Weasley towered over them. "Why, exactly, are you both late?"

Harry squeaked. Ron straightened as best he could. "Well, mum, you see...We, uh, had to grab a few last minute things and put them in our trunks. Sorry?"

The woman frowned before giving a light nod. "Fine, You'll be off the hook for now... Come along, we need to get to the car." the second years allowed themselves sighs of relief before hurrying after the bustling woman. Outside, the rest of the Weasley clan were gathered around the beat up Ford Angelia. Fred and George greeted the duo with cheerful grins while Percy shook his head at their tardiness. Mr. Weasley simply smiled.

Ginny ignored them.

That, most of all, was what affected Harry, though he couldn't quite place why he felt Ginny's feelings were so important to him.

They just were.

Despite being shoved into a tightly small car with seven others, Harry was happy with what was going on. After all, the feeling of being surrounded by people who cared about you(even if one of them was upset) was a nice one. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a light sigh. Back to Hogwarts...It felt oddly refreshing, just as coming to the Weasley house had felt refreshing.

He sighed as Mr. Weasley parked the old car in a place in front of the King'd Cross Station. The large party of Hogwarts students headed inside the busy and packed train station. Percy lead the way through the barrier whilst Ron and Harry spoke softly at the back of the crowd of Weasleys.

"Do you think there'll be any more incidents like last year?" Ron grumbled at the thought. Harry gave him a weak smile that clearly said he thought it would. The red-blond boy groaned into his hand. "Why can't we have just a couple months of peace? Honestly..."

Harry gave his best friend a weak smile. The duo glanced at each other and then at the clock to see they only had a few minutes before the train would prepare to leave.

Naturally, they panicked.

And, unnaturally to the duo, they slammed into the barrier instead of going through. Thankfully, Harry managed to slow down enough that his cart merely smacked the barrier lightly while Ron was sent sprawling across the floor. The Weasley cursed softly before getting up and putting his things back on the trolley.

When questioned by a passing Train Guard, they explained that they had lst control of their carts and ended up ramming them into the barrier. They also apologized profusely over this. The guard waved them off with a sigh and told them to go find their parents. Harry and Ron exchanged panicked look before looking up at the clock once more. It was ten minutes after the Train had left the station. Ron cursed again.

"What do we do?" Harry asked, his voice hushed. Ron merely groaned in return and turned the trolley back to the entrance of the station. The dark haired boy gave a light nod of agreement. "Yeah, we should probably go wait by the car..."

They did. For a whole ten minutes.

(_A record! Especially with impatient pre-teens.._.)

Ron was the first of the two to grow impatient. "Look," He said softly, "My parents will probably just floo home...There _is _a fireplace connected to the Floo network there."

"Why didn't we use that, then?" Harry asked curiously.

His friend furrowed his brow.

"...I don't know."

Harry resisted his urge to face-palm.

Turning away, he surveyed the car...

The car.

"Ah."

"What is it?" Ron questioned with a vague frown. Harry merely gestured at the car and then to the sky. The red-head furrowed his brows again with a light frown. "You don't mean...That's kind of crazy, Harry! We can't _fly _the car there! Why don't we just send Hedwig?"

He sighed. "That's the problem. I think whatever is preventing us from getting through the barrier might hurt Hedwig to stop us from getting to Hogwarts." His red-head friend flinched at the thought before murmuring a soft agreement. "So, Car it is?" Ron let out his own sigh before nodding: He knew that they didn't have much of a choice here.

The duo exchanged one more glance before heaving themselves into the Ford.

* * *

><p>Hermione placed her hands on her hips and glared at all who dared get within ten feet of her person. Most of those who did ran for their lives...Those that didn't included Neville, an oddly familiar red-head girl, a blond, and a shy young boy. "Where, in the name of Lorelei, are those two idiots?" She hissed, furious at her two friends' tardy nature.<p>

Neville gave her is Poker-grin(most likely to hide his own concern). "I'm sure they're looking for us as well. That often happens, you know, missing each other merely because you were searching for one another."

The brunette snarled something along the lines of 'That is no excuse!' whilst the blond and red-head exchanged looks. "Out of curiosity." The boy murmured softly. "Who are you waiting for?" The girl turned her furious gaze on the boy.

"I'm looking for two idiots by the name of Harry James Potter and Ronald Weasley!"

The furious hiss made the taller girl of the new trio to frown. "You can't mean Ron..."

Hermione paused mid-rant to send the girl a confused look. She blushed slightly in response. "Ah...Well, they should be here. I mean, they may have been the last people to get on the train, but they should be somewhere on here, correct?" Hermione mumbled a soft agreement while Ginny glanced at Luna, as if begging the girl to help. She replied with a teasing grin. Ginny let out a sigh. She should have known.

The group of five began their search. First, they tracked down the Weasley twins. Neville cheerfully kicked out a group of first years out while dragging the two into the compartment. Said compartment seemed to go completely silent when, rather suddenly, the prankster duo flopped out. The two both looked pained and squeaked when they saw Neville appear behind them. Two seconds later, they were running in the opposite direction from them. Hermione didn't even have to ask what her friend did. She had a horrible feeling she already knew.

They ran into Lee Jordan next, whom was confused as to why the twins were terrified on the second year Longbottom. Hermione just sighed and told him the situation. The elder seemed to get their worry and let the five know that if they saw either Harry or Ron, he'd get them to stay still so they could find them.

Lisa Turpin, a girl from their year, just shrugged and mumbled that she didn't know where they were. Dean Thomas and his best buddy didn't know where they were either. A pair of Hufflpuffs just shrugged and said they hadn't even seen them on the platform. Collin Creevey, a new student, nearly had a heart attack over even the suggestion he'd seen Harry. They then had to endure a full ten minutes of the boy's fan-gushing over their friend.

After their many trials and tribulations, they ran into a certain Malfoy Heir. Oddly ennough, his usual Bodyguard Entourage was no where to be found. Ginny was the only one willing enough to step forward and as their question: "Have you seen Harry Potter or Ron Weasley anywhere?" Hermione made shushing noises at her but the red-head focused only on the blond boy(Was there red in his hair? Yes, yes there was...).

He gave a soft sigh. "Why in the world would I care where those two trouble makers are? Leave me be." Ginny took this as a 'No, Thank You, I haven't seen them', nodded to him, and then walked away. The other four gave her subtle impressed looks that she hadn't punched the older boy's lights out.

"Arrrrgh! This is hopeless!" Hermione despaired when they reached their compartment once again. "They're nowhere to be found!" Neville just made himself comfortable in his new seat and Luna pulled out her magazine labeled '_Quibbler_' and sat back. Ginny leaned against the compartment door behind the brunette. It was only when Wei made a soft coughing noise did they turn to the young boy. "What is it, Wei?" Hermione frowned at him.

Wei tipped his head to the side with a light blush. "Ah...We're in the front right?" The other four nodded. "Well, I was late too, so I had to enter from the end of the train..." Hermione was waving her hand as if to say 'get on with it.' Wei blushed. "U-um, so, I know what they look like, but I didn't see anyone that looked like them at all on my way up here to find Luna."

There was complete silence.

Then...

"Oh, dear, they're not on the train."

"MOM IS GOING TO _KILL _HIM. I'M GOING TO _KILL_ HIM."

"Ah, this is rather bad, huh?"

"NEVILLE! SHUT UP! AND I'M GOING TO USE THOSE TWO AS TARGET PRACTICE FOR MY BOW!"

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><p>Harry sneezed. Ron quickly followed suit.<p>

"Ah man...Are we getting colds?"

The dark-haired boy shrugged then frowned.

"...Is it just me, or do you feel a strong killing aura coming from somewhere?"

"...It's not just you.

* * *

><p>Their scholarly friend paced the compartment back and forth. "Ooooh...those two are going to do something idiotic...morons...stupid..." As she paced, the other four had to avoid the sparks coming from the girl's wand. Luna hummed an odd tune while Wei was attempting-and failing-to calm the girl down. Neville was observing all this with his usual 'I'm-going-to-manipulate-you-any-way-I-can' smile.<p>

Ginny, on the other hand, merely leaned back into her chair and sighed. "Those two are so dead."

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 4<strong>

**END**

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><p>"I just felt an cold shiver go down my back."<p>

"Meh, It's probably nothing, Harry! Don't worry, alright?"

"...It's when you say don't worry that I start worrying..."

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><p><strong>Yo. Chapter end. Oh, my god, I updated! Are you all in shock? Man, my writing style has kind of changed since I last wrote a chapter for this story...Maa, maa, you can deal with that, though, right?<strong>


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